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Accelerating Precision to Decision Agriculture

The Accelerating Precision to Decision Agriculture (P2D) project was supported by funding from the Australian Government's Department of Agriculture and Water Resources as part of its Rural R&D for Profit program. Led by CRDC, the P2D project involved all Rural Research and Development Corporations, and was focused on three main aims:

Facilitating the development of digital technology in Australian agriculture.

Outcomes:

P2D summary report

Implementing the recommendations from the P2D project will set the stage for increasing the profitability of producers, providing clarity and trust in data ownership and access rights, and stimulating an innovation environment that facilitates the development and adoption of technology. This Summary Report brings together the key findings and aggregates the 67 detailed recommendations into 13 key recommendations. It also provides direction on the next steps required to implement the recommendations.

P2D technical reports

Six P2D reports have been commissioned to address key areas that are constraining digital agriculture moving towards its promised potential in Australia. These are as follows:

1. Producer survey of digital agriculture - The needs and drivers for the present and future of digital agriculture in Australia.

​The survey results provides valuable benchmarking data that have helped inform strategies developed in the broader P2D project aimed ensuring that Australian producers can better utilise agricultural data to enhance profitability while protecting their rights. The survey also identifies producers’ data needs to capitalise on the opportunities created by digital agriculture and big data.

Zhang, A., Baker, I., Jakku, E. and Llewellyn, R. (2017). Accelerating precision agriculture to decision agriculture: The needs and drivers for the present and future of digital agriculture in Australia. A cross industries producer survey for the Rural R&D for Profit ‘Precision to Decision’ (P2D) project. CSIRO and Cotton Research and Development Corporation, Australia.

2. Data connectivity for digital agriculture

This report introduces the key telecommunications technologies and services utilised, or at least on offer, to Australian producers and a small number of illustrative case studies of producers and service providers. The report also includes a discussion of future opportunities and the provision of recommendations aimed at further enabling Australian producers to realize a big-data future for their farming business.

Lamb, D. (2017). Accelerating precision agriculture to decision agriculture: A review of on-farm telecommunications challenges and opportunities in supporting a digital agriculture future for Australia. University of New England and Cotton Research and Development Corporation, Australia.

3. The legal dimensions of digital agriculture in Australia

Currently, the legal and regulatory frameworks around agricultural data are piecemeal, fragmented and ad hoc. The report outlines the current state of data rules dealing with data ownership, access, use, liability and licensing in Australian agriculture and presents recommendations to ensure that the legal and regulatory framework for Australian agriculture is digital and data ready.

Wiseman, L. and Sanderson, J. (2017). The legal dimensions of digital agriculture in Australia: An examination of the current and future state of data rules dealing with ownership, access, privacy and trust. Griffith University, USC Australia and Cotton Research and Development Corporation, Australia.

4. Current and future state of agricultural data for digital agriculture in Australia

This report identifies which datasets and decision-support tools were currently being used across different agriculture sectors and explore where future investment opportunities may exist. The report identifies five main cross-sectoral data types that warranted further analysis. These were soils, weather, imagery, land use and property boundaries. For each of these data types we have documented the key existing datasets, discussed the trends and opportunities and made recommendations about a desired future state.

Data to Decisions CRC, and Cotton Research and Development Corporation. Email report questions and feedback to the Data to Decisions CRC.

6. Analysis of the economic benefit and strategies for delivery of digital agriculture in Australia

This report estimates that the unconstrained implementation of decision agriculture would result in a lift in the gross value of agricultural (including forestry and fisheries) production of $20.3 Billion (a 25% increase on 2014–15 levels) and would have major flow-on effects to other parts of the economy. This research will help guide ongoing investments by government and RDCs in areas that reduce current barriers to decision agriculture. It will also assist with targeting investments in areas in which there is a strong business case or high-impact productivity and profitability benefits for decision agriculture.

Perrett, E., Heath, R., Laurie, A. and Darragh, L. (2017). Accelerating precision agriculture to decision agriculture – analysis of the economic benefit and strategies for delivery of digital agriculture in Australia. Australian Farm Institute and Cotton Research and Development Corporation.